Invisible Touch

An effect used by Derren Brown and David Blaine

Derren Brown or David Blaine did not create the effect Invisible Touch... It is an old classic magic trick of mentalism and completely impromptu. You can do this at any time and anywhere. I have personally freaked many people out whilst doing this at clubs and parties. If you want an effect to build a reputation on then read this!

The Basic Effect You invite two friends to take part in a psychological test with you. You ask one of them to close their eyes. Whilst their eyes are closed you tap their friend on the hand twice.

You then ask the person with their eyes closed to open their eyes and ask them if they felt anything. They will swear that they felt two taps on their hand – even though you were nowhere near them… in fact you could may even be stood in the other side of the room.

The person with their eyes open will be amazed that their friend felt your touch even though she KNOWS you did not go near her. The person with their eyes closed will be so positive that she felt 2 solid taps that initially she simply will not believe that you were nowhere near her! When everybody else watching confirms that you indeed did not touch her – the 2 friends, plus everyone else in the room will be amazed!

Now The Basic Secret of the Invisible TouchDerren Brown and David Blaine

You
actually touch them both! The Invisible Touch trick uses a concept
known as ‘dual reality’. Each of the friends thinks that the
‘psychological test’ is happening at a different time. You ask Friend 1
to close their eyes, and then secretly tap their hand as you are moving
towards Friend 2. After a few seconds, you dramatically (but silently)
tap Friend 2. Finally you ask Friend 1 to open their eyes. The trick is
complete.

Full Methodof the Invisible Touch like David Blaine's and Derren Brown's method..

(You need to find two friends who are willing to take part in the trick. In this case I have called the friends Anne and Kate. You should stand with Anne to your right, and Kate to your left. Do not make position obvious, it only needs to be approximate.)

You: Would you two like to take part in a quick little psychological test with me? I have been practicing something and want to see if it works?Friends: Yes, OK.You: Great! Basically I have been reading this psychology book and it is talking about the fact that twins have been reported to have extra close bonds between them – you know, they know what each other are thinking, or can feel what each other feels. You have heard of that, right?Friends: YesYou: Anyway, I have been reading this paper about how this link can be created between two friends by a third person like me if I can get you to think‘in sync’ with one another. What are your names by the way?Friends: Anne and Kate.You: OK Anne, what I want you to do is just stand still and completely relax. I want you to look around the room and think about everything you are seeing. Imagine exactly how you think Kate would see the room as well.

(Now you should talk about things which are actually in the room, for example if you are in a bar you should ask Anne to consider what she would think about the music, the bar service etc, etc. What you say specifically here is unimportant – but it creates a decoy for the real method in the Invisible touch ...)

You: Anne, I want you to close your eyes and completely relax. For the next minute or so I would like you to only give me one word answers – is that ok?Anne: YesYou: Anne, I want you to concentrate very hard and remember if you feel anything touch you. I am going to lift your arm up in a moment, but after that – if you feel anything, anywhere I want you to remember it. Is that clear?

Anne: Yes

(At this point you should lift Anne’s left arm with your left hand, so that her hand hovers around waist height. Let your right hand remain casually by your side. Once you have done this let your left hand return to your side, leaving Anne’s hand ‘hovering’.)

You: Kate! Watch this!

(As you say this, you should hold your index finger of your left hand up between your face and Kate’s, and look Kate right in the eye. At the same time you should turn your body in Kate’s direction and take a step away from Anne. As you do this, allow your 4th finger or your right hand to tap Anne’s hand twice.

With a little practice, you are saying “Kate! Watch this!” combined with you holding your other hand up and looking her in the eye means that Kate and everybody else watching will not see you tap Anne. You should make the tap as fluid as possible. I keep my hand moving all the time and simply stick out my 4th finger twice as my hand moves close to Anne’s. That will complete the Invisible Touch trick)

(At this point, silently, dramatically and deliberately, grab Kate’s hand and tap it in exactly the same place as you did Anne. Up until this point Kate and the audience believe that no-one has been tapped. This is the dual reality in play; they will think that it is now that Anne is feeling taps… not 10 seconds earlier.)

You: Anne, could you open your eyes please. I hope this has worked; I have only managed to do it a couple of times so far. Did you feel anything at all?

(It is important to be unsure of the result. This will stop people thinking that it is just a trick, and that you really are performing a psychological miracle.)

Anne: YesYou: What did you feel?Anne: TapsYou: How many taps did you feel?Anne: 2You: Where did you feel them?Anne: On my hand

(At this stage Anne will probably point to the exact point, if not you can further question her.)

You: Well, I am very happy! It worked! I actually did not touch you at all!

(At this point the true level of the effect becomes apparent. Anne will insist you touched her, but EVERYONE else in the room will be positive that you never went near her hand! People will ask you to do it again, but be careful – until you are very practiced at the secret tap, a good observer might be able to spot it!) It is an Invisible touch!!

Closing Notesof the Invisible Touch

That is the basic methodology that I use when I perform the trick. I have performed it many times and providing I only do it once per person, I never get caught out.Feel free to adapt the script to suit your style. Instead of a ‘psychological test’ you could claim that you have ‘psychic powers’ which let you touch people from a distance. Remember, in the script above I suggested moving just a step away from the person whose eyes are closed. There is nothing to stop you walking to the other side of the room, just tap them as you turn to walk away!

A variation of the effect uses ‘invisible loops’. These are lengths of invisible thread tied in a loop and suspended around a finger. By asking the person being touched to concentrate on a specific part of their hand, they will be able to feel the touch of the thread – but the thread is fine enough to be invisible in 99% of conditions – especially in a dark environment. Invisible loops can be purchased pre-tied frommost magic stores, both off and online. Invisible thread is more widely available and is much cheaper… but it is time consuming and infuriating to tie in loops, so you may decide it wise to opt for the more expensive pre-tied variety!